Car-coupling



(No Model.)

' F. G. ARTER 8; J. O. BLOOI-IER.

GAR -GOUPLING.

No; 244,1 4. I Patented July 12, 1881.

I Wifnesses: 1721 8220):

a 6. $51M mv'w,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS G. ARTER AND JOHN C. BLOOHER, 0F LIMA, OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,164, dated July 12, 1881.

Application filed May 2, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANCIS G. ARTER and JOHN G. BLocHER, citizens oftheUnited States of America, residing at Lima, in the county of Allen and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Link-Adjustin g Devieesfor Gar-Couplings and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to a device for use in connection with car-couplings of that class in which tongues or equivalent devices are employed to raise, support, or adjust the projecting end of the coupling-link when about to effeet the coupling of two cars.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved device for operating the link-supporting tongue, by means of which the end of the coupling-link may not only be raised, but, having been raised, may be supported without the presence of an attendant.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 is an end view of a car showing our device attached. Fig. 2 is a top view of a car-coupling with the device attached, in which the end of the car is denoted by a dotted line. Fig. 3 is a view, on a larger scale, of the rod-holding device.

.The letter A designates the car, B the truck, B the wheels, 0 the coupling-link, and D the coupling-pin.

Only such couplings are referred to as employ a tongue, E, or equivalent device, to support the link. The tongue is pivoted to a rockshaft, F, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) and which extends in a horizontal direction from side to side of the draw-head, and the ends of the shaft are provided with a head, b. A full description of these parts will be found in Letters Patent No. 238,325, issued to us March 1, 1881. Further particulars of their construction, therefore, are unnecessary here. A red, H, connects with the head I) of the rock-shaft in such manner as to form a flexible or universal joint, and the rod extends to the outer side of the car, below the bottom of which the end (No model.)

of the rod is sustained. A portion of the outer end of the rod is flattened, as shown at z, and the extremityis bent at an angle to form a handle, It. A device (shown on a large scale in Fig.

3) is adapted to hold the rod, and is attached beneath the car, and serves, when the projecting end of the coupling-link has been raised to a horizontal position, to support the said link by clamping the rod, and thereby preventing it from turning.

The letter L designates the frame of the rodholding device, and n screws or bolts by which it is secured below the bottom of the car. A straight steel spring, 1), has one end firmly secured by a bolt or rivet, q, within and at one side of the frame, and the free end of the spring bears against a stop or rest, 1", at the opposite side of the frame. A seat, 8, is formed within the frame, adjoining the stop and below the spring, and is broad enough to receive the full width of the flattened part i of the rod. The space between the seat and the spring is a little less than the thickness of the flattened part of the rod, whereby when the flattened part of 7 5 the rod is forced edgewise into the space the spring bears or presses against the rod, thereby clamping it tightly to the seat 8. It will be understood that when the rod H is so held by the spring the link-supporting tongue E is in a raised position, to sustain the coupling-link horizontally, ready for coupling with another draw-head. When the rod H is not serving in the above-described manner to operate the tongue it occupies the space t within the frame, 8 5 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, which space is of sufficient size to permit of the free movement of the rod.

In practice the device operates as follows: By turning the handle 70, which occupies a convenient position under the car, the couplinglink is raised. By forcing the rod on to the seat .9 under the free end of the spring the rod will be clamped, and the coupling-link will thereby be supported in its raised position. 1f the op- 5 posite draw-head should be a little lower-than the link it will, when the projected end of the link enters it, depress the link and, by turning or twisting the rod, disengage it from the seat whereon it is clamped by the spring. It, however, the opposite draw-head should be a little higher, the projected end of the link will be raised, so that it will no, longer rest on the tongue. The rod will then be disengaged from its clamped position by the endwise motion of the draw-head, or by the concussion of the cars.

Having described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States-- 1. In combination with a rod to operate a link-supporting tongue of a ear-couplin g, a rod-holding device consisting of a spring and a seat, between which and the spring the rod may be clamped, as set forth.

2. In a car-couplin g, the combination of a rod to operate the link-supporting tongue, having its end flattened, and a spring-holder adapted to clamp the flattened end of the rod, as set forth.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of a link-supporting-tongue, a rod to operate the FRANCIS G. ARTER. JOHN C. BLOGHER.

Witnesses W. L. MACKENZIE, J. WIsE. 

